An $85 million lawsuit has been filed against Kroger alleging that the grocer placed a huge order for hand sanitizer in the early months of the pandemic and then refused to take shipment. Is it a common practice for retailers to refuse delivery of contracted products due to a lack of warehouse space or other circumstances?

The core fundamentals of assuring a positive curbside and in-store pickup experience are: having a designated pickup location, easy online account creation, providing contactless order pickup and having orders ready when promised, according to a study from Ipsos. What pain points in the curbside and BOPIS experience have become more evident during the pandemic?

Whole Foods co-founder and CEO John Mackey says the chain and its parent company (Amazon.com) are serious about ridding the grocery chain of its “Whole Paycheck” image.  Is being perceived as price-competitive a necessity for Whole Foods to continue growing its store footprint nationally?

Kroger has announced that it will add an online marketplace in the fall designed to allow third-parties to sell products via its website.  How will adding third-party sellers in complementary categories affect Kroger’s online business?

Rivals CVS, Kroger, Target, Walgreens and Walmart have joined together in a consortium focused on finding a better, more eco-friendly solution to America’s plastic bag waste problem.. Do you think a consortium such as this can be successful in finding a sustainable alternative to plastic bag use?

People have gotten more used to grocery shopping online due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Now an Alabama-based company wants to bring the whole grocery store closer to customers’ doors with a turnkey unmanned mobile mini-mart. Do unmanned, mobile markets pose advantages in meeting pandemic-era customer needs?

Since the novel coronavirus pandemic began, low-paying frontline positions in grocery have been recognized by the public as some of the most indispensable and dangerous in the country. As states begin to open more businesses to the public, should the higher wages paid to frontline grocery workers during the pandemic become the standard moving forward?

It is critical that grocery stores remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, yet they are a significant vector for the transmission of the novel coronavirus, putting customers and especially staff at risk. Do you think more supermarkets will convert to pickup and delivery-only operations?

A Kroger store in Cincinnati has converted to pickup-only. The store may now better suited to address challenges associated with the pandemic. Are grocery stores “super-spreading virus vectors” or are the safety steps being taken sufficient to create safe-enough environments for customers and staff?

Minnesota and Vermont last week officially designated grocery clerks as emergency personnel, similar to paramedics and nurses, to give them access to free childcare. Do frontline grocery workers deserve special protections and compensation amid the coronavirus pandemic on par with first responders?

This is a stressful time for retail managers and employees as they go about trying to meet the demands of a frightened public while at the same time dealing with concerns for their own personal health. What should retail management be doing to help store associates and warehouse workers deal with the stress they are under in the current coronavirus emergency?

Kroger said its self-service advertising platform now leverages three sources to allow brands for the first time to view in-store and online sales results attributed to advertising campaigns across the grocer’s properties. Do you see data from loyalty programs as critical to linking digital advertising to in-store sales?

Reckless expansion and heightened competition for natural and organic foods were factors behind the recent bankruptcies of Fairway, Earth Fare and Lucky’s Market, but each chain faced unique challenges. What common themes do you see behind the bankruptcies of Fairway, Lucky’s Market and Earth Fare?

Retailers rose to the top of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s eighteenth annual “Corporate Equality Index” report, which rates workplaces on their policies and treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees. What do you see as the current state of LGBTQ affairs within the retailing industry?

Grocery giant Walmart is implementing an automated, robotic mini-warehouse to help better manage its e-commerce fulfillment. Is Walmart’s plan to expand its pilot of the Alphabot an indication of how important automation will be to other e-commerce grocers?

Grubhub is exploring its strategic options, including a possible sale, and it appears as though there are plenty of food retailers interested in kicking the tires of the online meal ordering and delivery service. Should Ahold-Delhaize, Albertsons, Kroger, Walmart or some other grocer buy Grubhub?

Look out Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and all the other brands with plant-based meat alternatives. Kroger is rolling out its own private label meatless brand. What will Kroger’s private label entry into the plant-based meat market mean for the future prospects of the category and the grocery chain operator’s business?

Good grocery store experiences can be worth telling the world about, and some fans of major grocery chains are doing just that, bringing their enthusiasm to social media — without financial support from the retailers. Is it wise for grocery stores to inspire customers to start blogs, Facebook groups and the like that communicate about their brand?

Food deserts continue to be a huge social problem that charities, government and the private sector are all working to solve. Lyft has been using the rideshare model to offer a remedy, and is now expanding its efforts. Does Lyft’s program suggest a good path to addressing food deserts?

Kroger’s test of free pickup in most markets is a hit with customers, but the grocer is still analyzing what the long-term benefits might be before making it a regular offering. Will free grocery pickup, including perishables, become an expectation of consumers in the years ahead?

The Kroger Co. and Walgreens have formed a new group purchasing organization (GPO), Retail Procurement Alliance, which further expands joint efforts between the supermarket and drugstore powerhouses. How will the joint procurement deal between Kroger and Walgreens benefit the two companies, and what will it mean for competition?

When customers order pre-made meals from Kroger in the future, the food might not have ever seen the inside of a Kroger. But if the hype about dark kitchens is true, the orders should get there lightning fast. What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges facing retailers like Kroger that are experimenting with dark kitchens for home food delivery?

Grocery shoppers won’t have to make a special trip to the farmers market to get in-season fruits and vegetables right off the farm if Kroger’s new pilot works out. Could you see in-store farms scaling across the country chain-wide for Kroger?

Kroger has invested in its private labels, upgraded stores and developed its digital operations. Now the supermarket giant has raised its sales forecast and introduced a new ad campaign featuring a new corporate logo and tagline — “Fresh for Everyone.” What is your assessment of Kroger’s current competitive position?

Recently in South Memphis, TN, Kroger made an untraditional move in a market to make sure a community it was leaving wasn’t stuck without a place to shop for food.  How important is it for grocers and other retailers to take into consideration the impact of leaving a community?

Kroger, the second-largest grocer in the U.S., has opened its first food hall inside a new store in downtown Cincinnati near its headquarters. Are food halls a natural complement to grocers’ urban locations?

The relationship between Kroger and Walgreens is going to the next level. The two retail giants have announced plans to expand a pilot program that places Kroger Express store-within-a-store shops inside Walgreens to 35 more locations. Where do you see the Kroger/Walgreens pilot program going?

Kroger has partnered to bring Zero Hunger Mobile Market — described as a “single-aisle grocery store on wheels”— to Louisville neighborhoods that lack a nearby supermarket. Do you see Zero Hunger Mobile Market as a potential market opportunity for Kroger or simply a goodwill initiative?

When a van delivery from regional grocer H-E-B arrives at a customer’s house, there might not be anyone in the driver’s seat — if things work out with a planned pilot. What will be the determining factor(s) if/when autonomous delivery tech is rolled out on a widespread basis?

Kroger announced that it will begin levying service fees for all purchases paid with a debit card in which the customer requests cash back. Do you approve of Kroger’s move to charge customers for cash back debit card purchases?

There was a time not too long ago when the only thing a person could hope to get delivered in 30 minutes was a pizza. Is delivering grocery products consistently in 30 minutes something customers can expect? Do you think Kroger can deliver on this promise?

Kroger is the latest major retail chain attempting to cash in on the CBD (cannabidiol) products rush. Do you think most major retailers will soon begin stocking personal care products with CBD as an ingredient?

Some big retailers are working with a startup that’s putting a 21st century twist on a classic method of making packaging reusable — a pick-up service akin to the one used by the mid-20th century milkman. What factors will determine if customers make the decision to sign up for a service like Loop?

The Kroger Co. has launched PearlRock Partners, a platform to make early-stage investments and support the growth of emerging consumer brands. How do you see Kroger potentially benefiting from the formation of PearlRock Partners?

A growing number of grocery stores are using anaerobic digester technology in their operations to minimize the amount of their food waste ends up in landfills. Does anaerobic digester technology show promise as a realistic solution to retailers’ food waste challenges?

Kroger announced that it has identified Central Florida and the Mid-Atlantic states as the sites of its new online grocery customer fulfillment centers being built and operated by Ocado. Where do you expect to see the most immediate impact on Kroger’s business from the Ocado customer fulfillment centers?

Grocery shoppers at the new, tech-enhanced Hannaford concept will find information on the products they’re buying easily available, right when they lift them off the shelf. What do you see as the greatest benefits to integrating smart shelf/touch screen technology in grocery stores such as Hannaford?

Kroger wants foodies to have a special place on their shopping list for its private label products, so the company is carving out a branded section in the center store to highlight them. Will Kroger succeed in getting foodies to check out its private label brands with this type of a special section?

Last week, Kroger reported its third quarter earnings, and one industry expert has questioned whether the grocery giant is on the right path or if it is making the same types of mistakes that caused Sears to crash and burn under former CEO Eddie Lampert. Do you share the concern that Kroger needs to invest more in its stores?

Kroger and Walgreens have provided more details on the 13-store pilot program the two chains announced in October. What does dedicating one-third of its selling space to Kroger Express say about Walgreens’ future prospects?

Kroger announced a partnership to open Geoffrey’s Toy Box popups this holiday selling season featuring brands that have been exclusive to Toys “R” Us. Do Geoffrey’s Toy Box holiday popups make sense for Kroger?

Albertsons announced earlier this week that it is engaging in a pilot to test a micro-fulfillment center that makes use of artificial intelligence and robotics to fill online grocery orders at the store level. What do you see as the pros and cons to the “hyper-local” approach to fulfillment being tested by Albertsons?

Kroger and Walgreens have announced a new pilot program that brings together the convenience of shopping on the supermarket’s website with customer pickup at 13 local Walgreens. Items from Kroger’s private label lines will also be stocked in Walgreens as part of the test. How do you expect the Kroger/Walgreens pilot program to work out?

With Walmart, Target and Whole Foods all offering free grocery pick-up, should Kroger and other traditional supermarkets stop charging as well? How likely are market forces to demand that grocers offer free in-store pickup over the next couple of years?

The Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, announced plans to open an innovation lab as part of the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) new 1819 Innovation Hub. How important is establishing a vibrant tech community in Cincinnati to Kroger’s future?

Starting next year, Kroger will begin phasing out single-use plastic bags at all its stores with a goal of eliminating their use entirely by 2025. Will Kroger’s Zero Hunger/Zero Waste initiative have an effect, positive or negative, on the company’s top and bottom lines?

Big name grocers have been putting huge resources into getting online grocery shopping right, but a recent Gallup poll indicates that customers just aren’t feeling it. Are the Gallup poll findings in line with your view of the online grocery market?

Kroger is looking to make its first overseas move a big one. America’s largest operator of supermarkets announced yesterday that it will test an online store selling its private label goods in China using Alibaba’s Tmall platform. What do you expect to come out of Kroger’s test of private label sales in China?

In a battle over swipe fees, Kroger will stop accepting Visa credit cards at 21 of its Foods Co. supermarkets and five gas stations in California starting August 14. Is Kroger’s standoff with Visa likely worth the inconvenience to consumers?

Kroger announced today the launch of “Kroger Ship,” a new delivery program for shelf-stable grocery products that appears to be an answer to similar services from Amazon.com (Prime Pantry) and Target (Restock). Will the Kroger Ship service help to “redefine the customer experience” at Kroger?